The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Dahlia plant, botanically known as Dahlia hybrida and hereinafter referred to by the name xe2x80x98Melody Doraxe2x80x99.
The new Dahlia is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Voorhout, The Netherlands. The objective of the breeding program is to create new compact Dahlia cultivars with freely branching growth habit, decorative inflorescence form, attractive ray floret colors, and good inflorescence longevity.
The new Dahlia originated from a cross pollination made by the Inventor in 1966 of two unnamed Dahlia hybrida selections, not patented. The new Dahlia was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross grown in a controlled environment in Voorhout, The Netherlands, in the summer of 1997. The selection of this plant was based on its compact plant habit and attractive ray floret coloration.
Asexual reproduction of the new Dahlia by cuttings was first conducted in Voorhout, The Netherlands in the spring of 1998. Asexual reproduction by cuttings has shown that the unique features of this new Dahlia are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.
The cultivar Melody Dora has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature, daylength, light intensity, water and nutritional status without, however, any variance in genotype.
The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of xe2x80x98Melody Doraxe2x80x99. These characteristics in combination distinguish xe2x80x98Melody Doraxe2x80x99 as a new and distinct Dahlia:
1. Upright, somewhat outwardly spreading and rounded plant habit.
2. Freely branching habit, full and dense plants.
3. Freely flowering habit.
4. Decorative inflorescence form with inflorescences positioned just above the foliage.
5. Red and yellow bi-colored ray florets.
6. Excellent garden performance.
7. Excellent inflorescence longevity.
Plants of the new Dahlia differ primarily from plants of the parent selections in ray floret coloration.
Plants of the new Dahlia can be compared to plants of the cultivar Gallery Pablo, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 10,599. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Lisse, The Netherlands, plants of the new Dahlia are taller and have longer internodes than plants of the cultivar Gallery Pablo. In addition, inflorescences of plants of the new Dahlia have yellow and red bi-colored ray florets whereas inflorescences of plants of the cultivar Gallery Pablo are salmon-orange with yellow-colored centers.
Plants of the new Dahlia are similar in ray floret color to plants of the cultivar Aloha, not patented. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Lisse, The Netherlands, plants of the new Dahlia are more compact and have smaller inflorescences. In addition, plants of the new Dahlia are typically grown as a container plant whereas plants of the cultivar Aloha are typically grown for cut flower production.